ICC Note:
“We have applied the law of Allah, now come and apply your law,” Salafis told police after cutting off a Christian Copt’s hear and then handing him over to authorities. Salafis have actively been pushing for Sharia (Islamic law) in Egypt, and have ordained themselves to implement it. Liquor store and Christians have been attacked in recent weeks as a result.
By Mary Abdelmassih
4/7/2011 Egypt (Coptic Solidarity) – The horrifying incident in which Salafis or Islamic fundamentalists, have implemented for the first time in Egypt the Islamic penalty or Hudoud on a Christian Copt by cutting-off his ear for allegedly renting his flat to a Muslim prostitute, has sent shock waves throughout Egypt. The Salafis in the southern town of Qena, 490 KM from Cairo, took all the authorities of the State in their own hands; they arrested the victim, judged him and applied what they saw as the appropriate punishment on him. After that they called the police to take away the victim saying “We have applied the law of Allah, now come and apply your law.”
It turned out since that similar incident took place, which raised concern and alarm, not only among the Copts, but among the majority of Egyptians who are aware of the seriousness of these trends on the future of Egypt and the civil State.
Free Copts advocacy reported this week that according to Bishop Cherubim of Qena, three incidents took place in Qena alone during the last fortnight in which Salafis implemented Hudoud on Christians.
Bishop Cherubim said that besides applying the Hadd (plural Hudoud) on the Copt Ayman Mitri by cutting-off his ear, two other Copts were victims of Salafi Hudoud.
One of them was Ibrahim Fouad Botros who was killed after a dispute with a Muslim neighbor in the market because of the assault of a Salafi group on him, and the second victim was Matthias Talat Asham who was accused by the Salafis of having a love affair with a Muslim girl. “He was dealt a fatal blow by the Salafis and was thrown from his flat on the fourth floor where he fell to the street unconscious and died later at Qena General hospital,” said Bishop Cheroubim. He added that he has been serving in Qena for over twenty years and no such incidents ever took place there.
The ordeal of Mr. Ayman Anwar Mitri, an employee at a school in Qena, whose ear was cut-off by Salafis allegedly for renting his flat to two Muslim prostitutes started when he was called at dawn on March 20 by another tenant in the building called Khaled, advising him that the vacant flat where the Muslim women lived was on fire.
When he went to the burning flat, a group of Salafis in the street shouted insults at him. He went down to the street and explained to them that his flat was let through an estate agent and he knew nothing about the private life of his tenants who have meanwhile vacated the flat upon his request.
The Salafis asked him to go with them somewhere quiet to clear the misunderstanding between them, however, when they went to the flat of Mr. Mitri’s friend Khaled, a policeman, he found another twelve Salafis waiting for him there. They started beating him and saying “We will teach you a lesson, Christian” and “This serves your right for renting your property to prostitutes.”
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Mitri’s ordeal included beating him to convert to Islam which he refused, wounding him in several bodily parts, before sitting him on a chair and one of the Salafis named elHusseiny cut his right ear off. “I felt so shocked that I do not even know what tool he used.” They also made a 10cm cut at the back of his neck, injured his other ear, his face, head and arms.
Mr. Mitri said the Salafis wanted to throw him off from the fifth floor, but Khaled objected, saying he would get into trouble for just being there, as he was a policeman.
The Salafis then called the police and told them “We have applied the law of Allah, now come and apply your law,” said Mitri in an interview for the Egyptian Human Rights Organization. The police came and Mitri was taken to hospital.
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